Article of the Month -
February 2015

LITTLE ORCA’S 5000 MILE ODYSSEY

Please join us in this very different and unusual article of the month -
a Manga graphic comic book, which we hope that you will enjoy as much as
we do.

John Hohol, President of FIG Foundation, explains:

"This is the amazing and true story of a Japanese survey marker
uprooted by Typhoon Talas in September 2011 and travelling for 6 months
8000 km (5000 miles) across the Pacific Ocean being discovered by a boat
charter captain along his dock at Orcas Island, Washington, USA. The
manufacturer of the survey marker, Ripro Corporation, has turned this
incredible story into a traditional Japanese Manga graphic comic book (a
timeline outlining the story is shown on page 32). Enjoy!"

John Hohol got involved because the story made national news in the
US and caught his attention and he recognised the stake as belonging to
the RIPRO Corporation in Japan, a company that he has worked with. He
contacted Kengo Okada, the president of the Ripro Corporation. Kengo
Okada and John Hohol each booked a flight to Orcas to meet Tom Averna,
who found the survey stake, and retrieve the item.

The story begins: My name is Little Orca and I would like
to tell you how I got my name and my adventure...

International Federation of Surveyors, FIG, is a United Nations and World Bank recognized
non-governmental organization of national member associations
and covers the whole range of professional fields within the
global surveying community. It provides an international forum
for discussion and development aiming to promote professional
practice and standards.